In 2011, a few hardy souls formed the Environmental Law Collaborative (ELC) with the goal of engaging environmental law scholars in the thorny issues of the day. In the summer of 2012, scholars gathered in the woods of Connecticut to debate the value of scholarly research and the potential of legal literature to effect social and environmental change. With visions of Airlie House and armed with the principles of collaboration and the necessities of ecological fragility, the group sought to foster progress toward an adaptive, conscious, and equitable governance of actions that impact local and global ecologies. 

The inaugural Workshop addressed the re-conceptualization of sustainability in the age of climate change, focusing on examining the re-conceptualization of sustainability in the age of climate change, including (but not limited to) framing the term in climate change discussions; reaching sustainable practices across disciplines such as law, economics, ethics, and the hard sciences; and conceptualizing the role of sustainability in adaptation and resiliency preparation.  The event produced an intensive and collaborative assessment of sustainability in the age of climate change.

Since that time, ELC has come to represent a revolving group of scholars who engage their collaborative vision to address contemporary environmental rhetoric and untangle the environmental, economic, political, and social challenges that deter us from achieving the planet’s environmental and social needs.